But it was Kevin Garnett, an NBA veteran who never played for Shaw but has always been outspoken, offered the most direct criticism: “… They quit on Brian Shaw,” Garnett said of the Nuggets following their win in Minnesota on Wednesday. “I thought, you know, they’d quit again. A quitter is a quitter.”

While on The Sports Show on Thursday, former Nugget Chauncey Billups was, of course, asked about Garnett’s comments. His take:

The game was also the Nuggets’ first win over Minnesota since Kevin Garnett’s return to the Wolves. Afterward, the ever-outspoken Garnett echoed the sentiment of others (Paul George, David West) in the league who feel the Nuggets “quit” on Brian Shaw and ultimately led to his ouster.

Asked if he expected the Nuggets to come out with the energy they played with Wednesday in the wake of Shaw’s firing and the months of drama surrounding the team, Garnett told reporters: “No. To be honest, they quit on Brian Shaw. I thought they’d quit again. A quitter is a quitter. That was my take on that. If you got any kind of self-pride about your future, then you want to anticipate someone playing hard. But, no, I wasn’t really concerned about the Denver Nuggets or how they were going to come out. I was more concerned about us, and us going forward and being better.”

Revenge, sought over time by everyone from the Sith to the nerds, can fire up a fan base. Today, revenge is on the mind of the powder-blue faithful here in Denver, since the Celtics are in town – Boston beat Denver in a three-overtime heartbreaker earlier this month.

But in the course of an 82-game schedule, are the Nuggets themselves seething with vengeance?

“I think our guys know we should have won that game in Boston,” Nuggets coach George Karl said at today’s shootaround, “and we have a loss because of it and we’re on a three-game losing streak because of it. There will be some pride for us tonight.

“I think there’s a gradual conversation of having pride. I think every game, if it has an added motivation, it assists you to be stronger, more-prepared and more into the challenge. I always laugh, because when there’s a good team like the Celtics, with an incredible tradition, everybody wants to beat them.”

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.